Fire investigators are awaiting building stabilization of the Thompson Block before proceeding to remove debris from the basement of the building. Portions of River and Cross Streets are expected to reopen Monday.

Building stabilization, engineering study to be done first

By Christine Laughren
Oct. 2, 2009 · 5:29 p.m.

The city of Ypsilanti is collectively biting its nails as it awaits the results of an engineering study for the Thompson Block to see if the burned building is salvageable.

In the meantime, Public Works Director Stan Kirton said the corner at River and Cross Street would remain closed throughout the weekend. Two lanes of North River Street are expected to be open again Monday and the left turn lane on the street will serve as the northbound lane as the fencing along the street remains in place.

Eastbound Cross Street is also expected to be open, however, the westbound lane could remain closed for a month or two as workers of the buildings owner, local developer Stewart Beal, salvage the building or demolish it.

“The (engineering) study should be out within another week,” Ypsilanti Fire Chief Jon Ichesco said Thursday afternoon.

Ichesco said the city, as well as Beal Inc., are anxious to know what direction to take with the building and start to move forward one way or another before the snow starts to fall.

An investigation into the blaze, the first flames of which were seen in the early morning hours of September 23, is stalled as investigators wait for the façade of the building to be stabilized. Ichesco said investigators with the city, the Michigan State Police Fire Investigation unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives examined the entire perimeter of the 148-year-old Civil War barracks and hope to start clearing out debris inside the building soon.

Investigators could determine whether the fire was arson or not but Ichesco said the cause of the fire may never be known.

“There’s really not much we can tell until we get what’s left of the roof and the other two floors out the basement,” he said. “Once we lift the floors out we could spend a week to three full days getting idea of what happened, but it depends on what the debris tells us, if anything.”

Approximately two thirds of the building was lost in the blaze. The original call was made from Café Racer, a vintage motorcycle shop near the west end of Depot Town. Ichesco said it took approximately two minutes for the first fire truck to arrive and the flames spread quickly when the department opened the doors to access the building.

Although Ichesco said there wasn’t much in the building to burn he also said over the years the building had been used for different machine shops and oils and other fuel-based chemicals had permeated into the wood-planked floors.

“There was also a paint shop in there at one time,” he said. “With a lot of combustible materials building up over the years those wood floors would go up pretty easy.”

A fire suppression system was removed from the building when it went into receivership after a lengthy court battle between the city of Ypsilanti and former owner David Kircher, who is currently in prison on unrelated sewage dumping charges.

“It really didn’t work when it went into receivership,” Ichesco said of suppression system. “When Barnes and Barnes had it the piping was removed.”

According to the fire chief, the Thompson Block blaze is one of the more spectacular fires Ypsilanti has ever seen.

“The last time we’ve had anything of this magnitude and nature was Sherzer Hall in 1989,” he said “But this one is right up there for fires.”